The temporary rules imposed after last year's collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter to improve the safety of the crowded airspace around Washington D.C. are being made permanent, the government announced Thursday.
The Federal Aviation Administration took steps to make sure that helicopters and airplanes would no longer share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport shortly after the investigation into the Jan. 29 crash began. The rules
also prohibit air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation and require all military aircraft to broadcast their locations.
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to hold a hearing next Tuesday to detail everything that contributed to the deadliest plane crash on American soil since 2001.
“After that horrific night in January, this administration made a promise to do whatever it takes to secure the skies over our nation’s capital and ensure such a tragedy would never happen again. Today’s announcement reaffirms that commitment,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The families of the 67 people who died after an Army Black Hawk helicopter struck an American Airlines jet that was preparing to land hope Duffy and Congress will be as receptive to the recommendations NTSB is expected to make next week to help prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again.
Matt Collins, who lost his younger brother Chris in the crash, said he and many of the other families plan to keep going to Washington so often that lawmakers will get sick of seeing them until changes are made.
“I hope to have some hearings done in the Senate and Congress, and I hope results come out of these hearings that they have,” said Collins who lives in Dighton, Massachusetts. “I hope we’re not just placated and it falls off into the background until another big news story comes up.”
The FAA said the new final rule will take effect on Friday. It will continue to require military aircraft to broadcast their locations using their ADS-B Out systems, which was routinely not done before the crash. And air traffic controllers are not allowed to rely on pilots to ensure visual separation between aircraft within five miles (eight kilometers) of Reagan airport.
